Iran Press/ Asia: Powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeast Türkiye and Syria early Monday, toppling buildings and sending panicked residents pouring outside on a cold winter night.
The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 33km from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was about 18km deep, and a strong 6.7 aftershock rumbled about 10 minutes later.
At least 53 people died Monday in Türkiye, local officials said.
Officials said 23 people died in the province of Malatya, 17 in Urfa, seven in Osmaniye, and six in Diyarbakir, although the toll threatened to climb much higher because of the heavy damage.
A doctor in Syria’s Atmed told The Associated Press news agency that at least 11 people have died in the northwestern town alone. Many more were buried in the rubble.
Five deaths were reported in the province of Osmaniye and 10 more in Sanliurfa, which sits near Turkey’s border with Syria.
Reports describing the situation in northwestern Syria as “disastrous”.
The quake felt as far away as Cairo and was centered north of the city of Gaziantep about 90 kilometers (60 miles) from the Syrian border.
Along with several cities, the area is home to home to millions of Syrian refugees who fled their country’s long-running civil war.
Türkiye, which borders Syria to the north, hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world.
On the Syrian side of the border, the quake smashed regions that are packed with several million displaced Syrians with a decrepit health care system after years of war.
There were at least 6 aftershocks, and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu urged people not to enter damaged buildings due to the risks.
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7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes central Türkiye
